As the sun sets over the Hudson River, the romance and excitement of this rockin' city takes hold of you and injects an energy that is contagious. Whether you just start off the night with some drinks and apps or head out for a long evening of clubbing it, all options have lots of flavor. No matter what day of the week it is, you are most likely in for a night full of edgy NYC stories. As a matter of fact, you are more likely to have an authentic city night during a weekday rather then a highly coveted weekend eve. I have been living in Manhattan for 10 years and have experienced an evolution of hot spots and places to be. I always keep my eyes peeled for an interesting evening. They can come out of nowhere. I truly get a kick out of spotting a restaurant or swanky lounge before anybody else knows about it. It's great when this happens because it validates what I like to call "Hotspot luck".
Last Wednesday evening, I hit a good find. My man Dave and I headed out to dinner and drinks with a couple of friends. A new place in West Village just opened up on Carmine Street called BarFry. I was a little frightened of an all-fried food menu full of Japanese tempura. How will I maintain my Pixie girl figure? I stressed. I pretended I didn’t care about the extra calories and set out for the adventure. The environment was chic, Japanese and cozy. I then asked myself when the last time I ordered tempura at a Japenese restaurant. Never! New Yorkers are health obsessed and menus such as sushi and noodles are easier on our stomachs. But relax and try this cuisine.
Josh DeChellis, the chef at Sumile, has decided to restore tempura to it's proper place. This is a perfect little spot to cuddle up with a date or chat with friends. There is an ambiance of intrigue that makes for better conversations over fun cocktails. This is the type of place you order a few small dishes and stop because you are laughing and talking too much. You could fill your glasses with Blue Point Blueberry Ale, Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout-or a beer made specifically for BarFry: Gaijin Pale Ale from Oregon's Rogue Brewery. There are also wine and cocktails (like the Sake Sangria), all of which you can keep cold in the clever 23-ft ice trough that runs the length of the steel bar. This crazy menu was extremely interesting. It is crucial to order correctly and avoid the trap of extraneous eating. Too much fried food could end up being the antithesis of an invigorating evening. I suggest ordering sides such as Olive Oil and Wasabi Pickles, Sauteed Pea Leaves with Lemon Zest and XO Sauce. My personal favorite dish was the Shishito Pepper. YUMMY! I would have been fine with a sample of sides and a drink, but I was not going to restrain myself from tempura in a tempura restaurant!
The fried food was not as heavy as I expected. It was lightly fried and unsalted so I didn’t feel like the greasy lady I had expected to transform into after the meal. I gingerly dipped the green bean tempura into a variety of special sauces, Green Citrus Pepper, Red Chili Citrus, Jalapeno Soy, Sweet Miso and Wasabi Remoulade. I also ate samples of the pumpkin, mushroom, chicken cutlet and beef beignet, which tasted like a beef donut. I finished my dinner at this new hot spot and felt as lightly toasted as Josh Dechellis’ tempura. I felt satiated and ready to dance all over town. The price was right at BarFry and I had the feeling that I had just experienced something exciting and new. And believe me, it is not easy to peak the interest, or genuinely surprise someone who has lived in New York as long as I have. I need an extremely rare discovery in order to whet my pallet of intrigue. This evening at BarFry is what I call, Hotspot Luck.
